As Stephen was coming up, he heard the telepathic voice of a little girl echoing in his mind and imdiately had a bad feeling.
"I've paid the money."
Stephen quickly pulled out a stack of bills from his wallet and placed them on the dessert shop counter. He patted Sonia on the shoulder and said to the girl in the black cloak, who looked like she'd just walked off the set of Assassin's Creed: "Let's go."
The girl was startled, hesitated for a second, but then quickly followed the two of them out.
Many people present had never heard a Pokémon speak telepathically before, so they didn't react right away. By the ti they snapped out of it, Stephen and Sonia had already disappeared with the girl.
...
There's no shortage of cafés in Lumiose City.
After sitting down in a corner of a café called Rochette Café, Stephen reached out and pulled off the cloak covering the girl. To call it clothing would be generous—it was just a rag.
In an instant, a humanoid Pokémon with a dazzling appearance appeared before the two.
"So, so pretty!"
Sonia's eyes turned into hearts as if she saw Boa Hancock.
A huge pink round diamond on her head, with four diamond-shaped gems on the back of her head forming a simple yet elegant crown.
On either side, the long pillar-shaped diamonds looked like hair. Earlier, Sonia had mistaken these two diamonds for hair, which is why she thought this Pokémon was a human girl.
Though her cute face and petite arms were very human-like, the bottom of her white dress revealed a dark gray mineral, as if to say she wasn't human, but a Pokémon.
{"Um... hello, I'm Diancie."}
The girl-like voice telepathically echoed again.
Noticing Sonia's intense gaze, the Diamond Princess looked a little scared.
"Diancie... This is my first ti hearing of this Pokémon. By the way, you're so cute!"
Sonia clenched her fists on her knees, barely restraining herself from hugging Diancie.
The knockoff yellow rodent on Sonia's shoulder looked a little unhappy.
Hey, I'm cute too, you know?
"Diancie, a mutated Carbink, usually serves as the princess of the Carbink tribe and stays behind to guard their ho."
Stephen briefly explained to Sonia.
"Wow... There are a lot of Pokémon in this world we've never seen before."
Sonia blinked her beautiful big eyes and curiously asked:
"So Diancie, why did you get into a conflict with that shopkeeper?"
{"I didn't."}
Diancie said, a little aggrieved:
{"I was a bit hungry and went over when I slled sothing delicious. Then that person said, 'Little one, if you like it, you can try so,' so I ate a bit, and then he said I..."}
Sonia couldn't help but smile, and started explaining a series of life concepts to Diancie, like "in the human world, you have to pay for what you eat."
"By the way, Diancie, are you still hungry? If you don't mind, we can treat you to sothing!"
Sonia offered enthusiastically.
{"Then, how much money should I give?"}
Diancie tilted her head, looking even cuter.
"No need, no need. We're friends now. Friends don't have to pay when eating together."
Sonia said with a bright smile.
Diancie nodded in semi-understanding.
While eating, Stephen and Sonia introduced themselves.
{"Hello, Stephen and Sonia. I am Diancie, princess of the Crystal Kingdom. I ca to the human city to find Master Xerneas and ask her to grant the power of eternity."}
Diancie, completely unguarded, explained why she left her ho and ca to the human city.
Although her ministers had warned her before she left not to trust humans easily, this naive and innocent princess didn't take their words to heart.
Just as the three Legendary Beasts are subordinated to Ho-Oh, and the three Regis are subordinated to Regigigas, Diancie is a follower of Xerneas.
The Carbink tribe feeds on diamond energy, and as the tribe's princess, Diancie is granted the power of eternity by Xerneas, gaining the ability to create everlasting diamonds to support her people.
For this, Diancie and all the Carbink worship Xerneas as their master.
Whenever diamond resources run low, Diancie sets out on a journey to find Xerneas and ask for the power of eternity.
In other words, she's hoping for help awakening her GA evolution.
Perhaps worried that Stephen and Sonia wouldn't believe her, Diancie showed off a bit, conjuring a sparkling diamond out of thin air with her little hand.
{"Although I can create diamonds if Master Xerneas doesn't grant power, the diamonds I make will disappear quickly."}
Sonia was stunned.
Creating diamonds... Not a big deal in the battle world, but in finance, that's a ga-breaking ability.
Even if the diamonds disappeared, if Diancie was kidnapped by evil people, they'd exploit her powers.
Sonia grew increasingly worried.
They'd only just t, but from their conversation, Sonia already had a good idea of Diancie's personality.
She's way too easy to trick!
Stephen, anwhile, realized a different problem: Diancie couldn't find Xerneas right now.
That deer is sleeping in Malva's Poké Ball at the mont.
Seeing Sonia's worried expression and Diancie's oblivious little face, Stephen said, "Actually, we're also looking for Xerneas. If you don't mind, Diancie, you can co with us."
"Huh?"
Little Hoopa was startled and asked curiously, "Big Brother, isn't Xerneas..."
Before Hoopa could finish, Stephen covered her mouth.
After failing to summon Xerneas last ti, Hoopa had heard the reason from Stephen.
But Stephen hadn't explained all the twists and turns behind it.
He didn't want Hoopa to overthink things; her current lifestyle was good, and there was no need to get involved in the ss between Team Rocket and Team Flare.
Catching Stephen's eye, Hoopa didn't say anything more.
After traveling with Stephen for a while, they'd developed a good rapport.
Stephen glanced at Sonia and gave her a look.
Sonia imdiately understood and nodded, "Yeah! Since we're all looking for Xerneas, we can look after each other on the way. What do you think, Diancie?"
Sonia figured Stephen had seen she was worried about Diancie, so he'd made up this lie.
Honestly, this guy was considerate. No wonder he had so many girlfriends and never got into trouble.
But actually, Stephen wasn't exactly lying.
This ti, he'd co to Kalos, and by the ti he left, Team Flare would be gone for good.
He'd also rescue the Xerneas in Malva's hands, which would count as helping Diancie find her big sister.
{"What a coincidence! Then I permit Stephen and Sonia to accompany ."}
Diancie's words sounded a bit lofty, but her tone wasn't arrogant at all.
It's just that all the Carbink around her treats her as their master, so Diancie grew up in that environnt and can't help but sound a bit official.
...
The next day, while having breakfast at the beautiful Grand Hotel.
Stephen and Sonia arrived at the restaurant together and saw several familiar faces.
"I wonder if this Junior Cup will have two worthy opponents for to go all-out against. Otherwise, this trip will be a waste."
That voice gave away who it was.
Stephen looked up—it was indeed Blue.
"Don't get cocky, Blue. There are plenty of excellent trainers in this world."
Professor Oak scolded.
"That's right. As far as I know, there's a Charizard trainer here in Kalos who's entering the competition. Their ability is Water Absorb. Your starter is Squirtle, right? That could be a problem for you."
Stephen walked over and grinned.
Blue's eyes went wide. "Charizard? Water Absorb? I've read a lot of books, Brother Stephen, don't try to fool ."
There aren't many people who can impress the always-arrogant Blue, but Stephen was one of them. Still, what Stephen said left him speechless.
Red, who owned a Charizard, also looked surprised.
Water Absorb Charizard? Seriously?
"Oh! So this is the legendary Hoopa, who transferred hundreds of thousands of people from Sinnoh to Kalos half a year ago!"
Professor Oak suddenly rushed over, startling Hoopa so much she almost had to defend herself.
"Stephen, where are we going next to help Diancie find Xerneas?"
Unaware of Hoopa's ability to summon legendary Pokémon, Sonia asked Stephen quietly.
To Sonia, although Stephen had made up the "we're looking for Xerneas too" story to persuade Diancie to join them since they'd taken on the task, they couldn't back out now.
["Hello, and welco to the Lumiose Morning News."]
Just then, a familiar voice ca from the restaurant's public TV.
Gary exclaid, "Oh, it's Brother Stephen's rumored girlfriend!"
On screen, Malva was reporting the news.
["At last night's Pokémon Showcase at the Lumiose Theater, after Champion Diantha's performance, the favorite to win, Palermo, unsurprisingly took first place. Champion Diantha personally presented her with the award and told reporters that Palermo is this year's most likely candidate for the 'Kalos Queen' title."]
As Malva reported, the screen showed Diantha handing a ribbon-tied key to the perforr nad "Palermo".
Sonia watched the replay, quickly becoming absorbed.
And at her feet, Diancie was equally entranced.
"Do you want to try entering the Pokémon Showcase with Diancie?"
Stephen asked out of the blue.
Sonia snapped back to reality, pointing at herself in disbelief.
It seed Stephen had asked her the sa thing last night.
"Don't you think this competition suits you?"
Stephen smiled.
The Pokémon Showcase might look similar to a Contest at first glance.
But actually, they're quite different.
If Pokemon Contests are 50% performance and 50% battle, the Pokémon Showcase is 99% performance.
Even though Pokemon Contests focus on performance, the winner is still decided by battle.
But the Pokémon Showcase... doesn't have any battles. It's all decided by audience votes and judges' scores.
That's perfect for Sonia, who isn't good at battles.
Plus, she had two big trump cards—Princess Diancie and... her face!
That's right, having Diancie enter a Pokemon Contest or Pokémon Showcase was overkill.
And Sonia's advantages in the Pokémon Showcase were just as great.
Unlike Coordinators, who only command, perforrs get on stage themselves with their partners.
So the perforr's looks matter too.
In the ani, when Serena entered the Pokémon Showcase, none of her opponents were unattractive—that says a lot.
"Since we don't know where Xerneas is, we'll have to wander around. In the anti, why not have a go at the Pokémon Showcase with Diancie? Nothing to lose."
Stephen suggested.
If Sonia and Diancie entered the Pokémon Showcase, Stephen felt they'd be even stronger than Diantha and Gardevoir.
Even in a regular Pokemon Contest, if you only looked at the performance round, Wallace and Milotic wouldn't stand a chance.
"Then... I'll give it a try..."
After all Stephen's praise, Sonia was a little embarrassed.
...
...
Two days later.
In Coumarine City, Kalos, Sonia, who'd successfully registered, was about to make her debut as a Pokémon Perforr.
She felt a little nervous, having not appeared on a public stage in years, and her partnership with Diancie was lacking in chemistry.
Normally, this debut should have ended in failure, just like May's first Pokemon Contest in the ani.
But when the scores ca in, and Sonia accepted the princess gold key (the symbol of victory) from the judges, Stephen couldn't help but sigh—no matter what world, looks matter.
That's right, even though Sonia and Diancie had terrible chemistry and their performance wasn't great.
But when a beauty with a figure rivaling Malva's and a face comparable to Cynthia's teams up with a legendary Pokémon whose looks outclass even Gardevoir and Milotic in such a performance-focused contest...
For everyone else, it's just unfair.
"Before I move on to the higher rounds, I want to stop using Diancie."
At dinner, Sonia's pretty face was all serious.
Never mind the avalanche of negative news online—she felt her win was unearned.
"I think that if you have a legendary, you might as well use it. But getting too reliant on legendary Pokémon from the start isn't good."
Stephen thought for a while.
Sonia and Diancie entering the Pokémon Showcase was like playing a cheat code.
It might be fun, but it's ultimately harmful to their growth. Stephen agreed—putting Diancie on hold was the right choice.
"Plus, Diancie is the Carbink princess—she'll need to go ho when we find Xerneas. I can't rely on her forever."
Sonia smiled a little awkwardly.
Diancie imagined the scene of their parting, and her face drooped—the parfait in her mouth instantly lost its flavor.
Seeing the two so reluctant to part, Stephen was thoughtful.
...
Two weeks later, with only a day left before the Junior Cup.
Lumiose City.
"Congratulations! This ti, those haters online will have to shut up."
At the entrance of the Lumiose Opera House, Stephen congratulated Sonia, who'd just won her second princess gold key.
Even without Diancie, Sonia and her knockoff yellow rodent partner managed to win the second round against all odds.
After all, even without the Diamond Princess, Sonia's looks were still a major weapon.
"It's just the preliminaries—I still need one more to enter the Master Class."
Sonia was modest, but her beaming smile told another story.
"Don't worry about that for now—let's celebrate! Hoopa, you go have fun with Sonia and Diancie."
Stephen smiled and said to Hoopa.
"Aren't you coming?"
Sonia was surprised.
"The Junior Cup is tomorrow—I've got a eting with Champion Diantha tonight to discuss the opening match. You all go have fun."
Stephen said.
"Oh... okay."
Sonia frowned slightly when she heard Stephen was eting Diantha.
Even if you have to see Diantha, do you need to send away?
Could it be that, besides Elite Four, Stephen also has a thing with the champion?
She wanted to ask, but then thought she didn't have any claim over Stephen, so she hid her discontent and left with Hoopa and Diancie.
After they left, Stephen suddenly said, "Let's go."
Two figures stepped out of the crowd.
It was Karen and Will.
"Where's the eting point, Stephen?"
Will handed Stephen a pair of sunglasses.
"Sunrise Café."
Stephen took off his black-rimd glasses and put on the sunglasses, instantly switching from Stephen to Joker.
"You've been in the gossip mags a lot lately. That woman has a really good figure~"
Karen teased.
Stephen rolled his eyes. "I told you, that's only because Malva wanted to hide..."
Before Stephen could finish, Karen interrupted, "Not that bitch Malva—I an Leon's childhood friend."
Stephen: "...She ca all the way from Galar to help in Alola. I had to return the favor, right?"
Karen rolled her eyes beautifully—she didn't believe a word Stephen said.
If Sonia weren't so pretty, would you be this interested in her business?
Peony ca over from Galar too, and you didn't care about him!
"Anyway, let's go take down Team Flare first."
Stephen quickly changed the topic.
Karen usually turned a blind eye to this kind of thing, but she still liked to complain sotis.
...
Lysandre Café, on the south side of Lumiose City.
Stephen rembered that in the gas, Lysandre had tried to share his ideals for a beautiful, eternal world with Diantha here—but Diantha had ignored him.
"Welco! May I take your order?"
As soon as the three entered, the server behind the counter greeted them enthusiastically.
"A Flare Coffee, please."
Stephen repeated the code phrase they'd arranged.
The waiter's expression changed slightly, but he kept smiling. "Sorry, we don't have that item. Are you sure you're in the right place?"
"No, I want a Flare Coffee."
Joker took off his sunglasses.
The waiter's smile vanished. He walked to the counter and pressed a button hidden behind a coffee can.
The door closed automatically, and a cabinet opened to reveal a secret passage.
"Understood. One Flare Coffee. Please follow , Team Rocket guests."
The waiter, in reality, a Team Flare mber, gestured toward the hidden passage.
"Team Flare is about to beco history."
Karen thought, full of disdain.
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